The charming CELESTE has taken leave of us, in a
" farewell ad- dress to the British public," dated from Liverpool, the lust spot of English ground she trod upon ; in which she gives vent to the grateful feelings of a lively and susceptible nature, with a becoming naivete; and though the language of the latter part is rather flowery, the senti- ment is evidently heartfelt. John Bull has never received a prettier billetdoux from a fair favourite.
Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, 17th August 1533.
"Being about to sail for the United States, in the packet-ship England, Captain Waite, I take this method of acknowledging, with a grateful heart, the distinguished patronage and kindness which has been so liberally extended towards me throughout the United Kingdom. To the London press particu- larly, and the British press generally, I AM under many obligations, for their indulgence and generous critiques on my various professional exertions. I feel this compliment warmly, as 1 have net the pleasure of being acquainted with a single person connected with the London press. I leave England without ever having had an altercation or harsh word with manager, actor, or actress ; and I feel proud in knowing that I am esteemed and respected by my professional associates.
"To part from those we reverence and esteem, is a sad feeling; but to meet and part, is the allotted portion of life. Affection tray wreathe and gratitude entwine their sweetest, their dearest, and most enduring bonds ; still, ' like the baseless fabric of a vision' they meet to be dissolved—they are wrought but to be broken. I have one consolation left: I am going to the land of my adoption —America!—the region of the mountain and the lake, where hospitality gives welcome to the stranger, and liberty admits him to the birthright of the free. For the last time, Old England, I leave your iron-bound shores, with a saddened heart, but sincere prayers fur your 'fast-anchored isle.% God bless you all. Farewell. "CELEsTE."
The passage that refers to her reception on the English stage, and her treatment by the managers, her fellow-performers, and the press, is honourable to all parties concerned; and not least to her- self. How few players can say, " I have never had an altercation or harsh word with manager, actor, or actress!" But CELESTE, who has been engaged at half the theatres in London, and many in the pro- vinces, has passed through her career, in a profession beset, we are told, with jealousy and intrigue, without any bickerings ; and has achieved remarkable success and gained great applause in a strange country, unfriended except by her own talent and good conduct : she made no enemies, and therefore needed not hireling friends. Let this be a lessors to the dupes of disappointed vanity who blame "the press" for their ill-success. Some silly people of overweening con- ceit may think it necessary to court the aid of a paragraphmonger in some low print, who puffs their pretensions in return for favours re- ceived ; but they would be better without such support : favouritism and spite do little good or harm to the objects of them ; and a reputa- tion that is "written-up" is sure to find its level—and that a lower one than if it had not been factitiously raised.
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